I Warned You about the Camera....

Well, I warned you in an earlier post that I would try following Elizabeth around with a camera to capture some of her "antics." I'm also testing my own "posting" ability on the blog! Below is a sample of Elizabeth one Sunday evening before bedtime... And as you watch it, you may get an understanding of why Susan might seem so tired at times! LOL Not that Elizabeth is hyper or anything. No. Not that at all! (And you will love her ASU t-shirt!) Enjoy her version of a Sunday night's "Jesus Loves Me." I hope He loves her enthusiasm! I will work on our production values! :) I especially liked Elizabeth's ending: "the Bible tells HIM so!"

Room for Improvement

Sorry I've been away for a while!

A little something from Centenary's October newsletter...

Pastor Joe shocked the congregation when he announced his resignation from the church and a planned move to another church. After the service a very distraught Mrs. Smith came to the pastor with tears in her eyes, “Oh, Pastor Joe, we are going to miss you so much. We don’t want you to leave!”

The kindhearted pastor patted her hand and said, “Now, now, Betty, it’s going to be OK. The pastor who takes my place might be even better than me.”

“Sure,” she said skeptically. “That’s what our last pastor said too!”

Ouch! Sometimes we are tempted to fall into two categories: those who think the world revolves around them, and those who think they have nothing at all to contribute. But the reality is that we all have something to contribute, and one person is not more necessary than another! The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another” (Romans 12:1-5).

What we have belongs to God. Everything. When we serve the Lord in humility and in gladness, we can share all that the Lord has to give. Our time. Our talents. Our gifts. Our service. Out of thanksgiving for all that God has done for us, we can’t help but serve! We can’t think we’re too important, but we are all needed. You are needed! I thank God for serving him among all of you, and I thank God for each of your many talents. Let’s share them for him!

Laugh, live, and celebrate God’s love,
Oliver

The Best Sound!

I love to hear a baby laugh, and this has got to be one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Thanks to Susan for forwarding it on to me. Just hear this laugh, and know that God has really blessed us to have senses of humor. We need to all use them more often!

I have no idea who they are, but I'm glad they released this for the world! (Thanks for sharing -- whoever you are!) OK. I will post some video of Elizabeth once I figure out how! LOL

Have a great weekend!

Thank you for the prayers!

Thank you to everyone who has remembered Susan's father, Hugh Harris, in their prayers this week. If you're not aware, Susan's dad had a heart attack last Saturday night in Virginia while visiting family, and he was rushed back to Winston-Salem to Forsyth Medical Center. He is thankfully now home after a defibrillator implantation on Wednesday, and he is recovering well. Very well! God is good! Thanks for all your prayers...Please continue to remember Hugh and pray for God's strength and healing presence to be with him throughout his recuperation.

Who Am I?

Did you hear the story about the man everyone thought had been a major league baseball player? It turns out that it was all a lie. For over twenty years, this man had made his family believe that he was a former baseball player...but it was all a ruse...

I wonder: in what ways do we pretend to be what we're not because it's what people expect out of us, and we don't want to disappoint? How many times have we acquiesced to the opinions and feelings of others because we "don't want to ruffle feathers," but as a result we have clipped our own wings? How often do we take the easy way out because we resist making the effort, we don't want conflict, or we just believe that what we think or believe is not important?

In the Book of Joshua, the people of Israel were without Moses. Moses had died and the people stood at the banks of the Jordan. The Promised Land. What they traveled forty years to find. God had delivered on his promises. He had provided manna in the wilderness. He had guided them by day and by night. His presence was visible and mightily available. But still, at the verge of the promises revealed...they wait. God commands them to go. The words of Joshua chapter one contain the phrase "be strong and courageous" several times. Just as God had been with Moses, he would be with them. He will be with us. He will be with you. He loves you as you are. In the daunting face of uncertainty, in the knocking knees of fear, in the twisted mind of doubt, and in the troubled heart of pain, remember who claims you. God. As he commands Joshua, the people of the promise, and you and me: "Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

In the name of Christ, you belong to God. Don't forget that. When the temptation comes to doubt and resist your place in this world, remember who and whose you are. And remember it's all because of God's amazing grace!

Just in Case You Didn't Hear...

As we enjoy a great Labor Day, I hope you have been able to rest some today too! We are getting the grill out for some delicious hamburgers, and oh, by the way, did you hear that my Alma Mater beat Michigan Saturday? Whoo-hoo! ASU played a game of a lifetime to defeat Michigan in front of 109,000 stunned fans. Well, ASU is not a two-time national champion in football for nothing! It just goes to show -- that all things are possible!

Armanti Edwards dives over the Michigan Wolverines for another touchdown...

And it looks like the Michigan fans just can't believe their eyes...

And even though the game was 600 miles away, ASU students tear down the goal posts in Kidd Brewer Stadium and carry them to Chancellor Peacock's house...now that's celebrating!

Go ASU! ASU! ASU!

Hi-Hi-y-ike-us, Nobody like us,
We are the mountaineers, mountaineers, mountaineers,
Always a-winning, Always a-grinning, Always a-feeling fine
You bet, hey!

Listen to the Fight Song, as performed by the Appalachian Marching Mountaineers

Everybody have a great week!